CERVICAL INCOMPETENCE CAUSED BY PREVIOUS ABORTIONS
In this age of technology, one would assume that preterm deliveries during pregnancy would be a thing of the past. But not so. In fact, premature births have increased in the United States by 27% since 1981. So, why are so many babies being born prematurely? The answer is, many young women have made an uninformed decision that ultimately weakened their cervix; the organ that retains the baby in the womb until they are full term and ready to be delivered. Numerous women, who are choosing to terminate an unintended pregnancy, are inadvertently negatively impacting their future pregnancies and children .
A normal cervix is very rigid and tightly closed, and only opens upon the delivery of the baby. In order to perform an abortion, the cervix must be stretched open with a great deal of force. It is during this forced dilation that microscopic tearing can occur, and occasionally, even severe ripping of the uterine wall. According to various hospital studies, up to 12.5% of first trimester abortions require stitching for cervical lacerations. Whether the damage is microscopic or macroscopic, there can be permanent weakening of the cervix. This type of cervical damage is directly related to the stunning increase of premature births. A Rooney and Calhoun study stated, “the abortions preceded the premature births,“ and that “the association is strong.” Also, at least 59 studies have demonstrated a statistically significant increase in premature birth or low birth weight risk in women with prior induced abortions.
Early preterm infants, those born before 32 weeks gestation, comprise 15% of the premature population, but 80% of the neonatal deaths. Early preterm infants also constitute a majority of those with serious disabilities, including mental retardation, epilepsy, blindness, deafness, lung infections and cerebral palsy.
In Poland during the late 1980s, during a period of time when abortion was legal in that country, about 100 children a year were dying before the age of five from cerebral palsy. However, Poland banned abortion 20 years ago, and along with that ban came a 20% decrease in extreme preterm birth weight babies. Between 2004-2006 the number of children who died from cerebral palsy was down to between 5-9 per year; a greater than 90% drop. Also, Polands’ maternal mortality plunged by more than 40% and their infant mortality has decreased by 25% . On the other hand, Polands’ neighbors, Russia and Hungary, where abortion is still legal, have among the highest maternal mortality in the world. Ireland, another country where abortion is illegal, boasts very low maternal deaths. Both Poland and Ireland enjoy lower maternal mortality than the United States, the richest country in the world, but where abortion is legal and results in over 1.2 million elective abortions per year.
Understanding and addressing the risk factors for the preterm birth ‘epidemic’ is crucial because low birth weight and preterm births are the most important risk factors for infant mortality or later disabilities, including cerebral palsy and lower cognitive abilities. Not only is the human cost immense, but the economic cost required to care for the overwhelming number of premature babies is a severe challenge to the medical care system.
Since induced abortion is considered the most common surgical procedure in the U.S., it is imperative that women have full and complete disclosure, about any and all information pertaining to the damages that could be incurred from that procedure. If they don’t receive it, then their consent isn’t truly informed, and they are denied their right to a fully informed decision. Rooney and Calhoun state, “As the liability costs for cerebral palsy are exceptionally high, induced abortion, particularly without very detailed informed consent, may carry an unsupportable legal liability. Courts may not require definitive proof of causation; the existence of a number of positive studies, in absence of definitive refutation, may be sufficient reason to include discussion of a potential serious adverse effect in obtaining informed consent.”
Not only are women entitled to know the complete truth about potential problems and damages pertaining to their medical decisions, it is the law.
Karen L. Lewis
Education Director, Alaska Right to Life
